Westonia
Westonia, officially the Free State of Westonia (Eastonian: Fristaten Westonien), was a state of the Eastonian Federation located in Westerland. It bordered Panzeria to the north and east, and the Eastonian state of South Westonia to the south. Westonia was the second largest state in the federation, and the second-most populous state after Eastonia. Etymology Westonia derived its name from that of its mother country Eastonia, substituting 'east' for 'west'. In some older Eastonian documents, the name Västland can be found aswell, derived from the archaic name Östland for Eastonia, and this usage remained in the Vizarian language where Westonia is known as Vestland. In the modern Eastonian language the official name of the state is Westonien. History Westonia shows signs of being one of the earliest areas of settlement in eastern Westerland, with evidence of Homo Villagius being present in the Dalheim region before Iotanian colonization of Angstein. The first Westonian tribes were explorers and traded maps with the early Iotanian civilizations, and this cartographic tradition lived on in the city of Dalheim. In the 250s BCE, an Eastonian expedition to west established a trading post on Westonia Island where immigration, mainly from Eastonia but also from Panzeria and the free city of Dalheim, kickstarted a building boom in what would become the city of Västerköping. At the time, Westonia was governed directly from Eastonia as a territory much like New North Eastonia despite its larger population and overall more prominent wealth and status. This gave rise to a popular pro-autonomy movement whose demands were eventually met through federalization, elevating Westonia to the status of a free state on equal footing with the Republic of Eastonia within an Eastonian Federation in 247 BCE. The Westonian mining industry experienced a boom by the end of the 240s BCE, attracting a new wave of migration to Westonia. This further encouraged the growth of Västerköping and it was also around this time Dödsträsk was founded at the mouth of the Westonia River. When the Great Southern Road to Seri Agara opened in the 220s BCE, the region became a link between Westerland and Southland. The free city of Dalheim, which had remained independent but had close ties to the Eastonian Federation, was later integrated into the Westonian state in the early 2nd century BCE following the results of a referendum approving closer integration. Westonia expanded further in 179 BCE as a result of Panzerian land cessions. During the 130s BCE, the state capital moved from Västerköping to the new city of Zeresterport in the northern Westonian region of Zerestia which had been built to provide Westonia with a port on the Panzerian Sea. In 100 BCE, the southern regions of Westonia split from the state and formed the new state of South Westonia following a referendum. In 40 BCE, Westonia became a founding member of the Zerestian Council for Inter-State Cooperation together with the Panzerian states of Tyland and Witterland after it was approved by the voters in a referendum. This regional body is responsible for overseeing shared infrastructure, the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce and synchronize trade and taxation policies between the states to promote regional cooperation. Ten years later, an initiative to hold a referendum on Westonian independence, "Wexit", was pushed through the State Assembly with only 9 of 25 votes in favor following the abstention of 8 APL legislators. Public opinion was against independence however and 66.2% of voters opted for remaining in the Eastonian Federation. Government and politics As a state of the Eastonian Federation, Westonia had a democratic form of government. The state elected 19 representatives and 3 senators to the federal parliament. The state government was seated in Zeresterport, with the Governor as its head executive. The unicameral Westonia State Assembly was the state legislature with 25 elected members. Category:New Iotania